Making Specialty Cakes In Ring Molds
Ring molds can be a pastry chef’s best friend and worst nightmare, if you don’t know how to do it correctly. As the absolute perfect way to make multi-layered cakes, mousses and ice cream, ring molds definitely come in handy to those who want to branch out. But, unlike your typical cake pan and baking dish, a definite process goes to using one and making sure your product doesn’t come apart in the end. As soon as you’ve got that process down, you’ll be making gorgeous, tiered desserts by the dozens.
Don’t let not knowing stand in the way between you and making the desserts you’ve always wanted to. In this baking and pastry arts video tutorial, learn how to master a multi-layer cake using a ring mold.
Genoese Sponge
4 Eggs
4.5 oz Fine sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
0.75 oz Butter
2.25 oz Bakers flour
2.25 oz Cornstarch
- Mix eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and warm it in a bain-marie up to
~130°F while whisking it slightly. The mixture will give off a little steam and will have developed a slightly creamy texture and color. - Clamp the bowl into a mixer and whip the mixture until it has cooled down to room temperature and has developed a very thick sabayon texture.
Melt the butter. Place some of the sabayon mixture into a separate mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and combine. Add this mixture back into the sabayon. - Sift the flours onto parchment paper and combine them well. Add the flours to the egg mixture and fold through gently. Do not overwork as this will result in a flat and firm end product.
- Divide the mixture and place into greased and dusted sponge tins (use an 8 inch sponge tin per serve).Bake at 390°F for 20 minutes until the sponge is set and bouncy. Test for doneness. Once cooled, turn over onto a cooling rack
Devil’s Food Cake
12 oz. cake flour
2 oz. cocoa
.25 oz. salt
.375 oz. baking powder
.25 oz. baking soda
7 oz. shortening
1 lb. sugar
8 oz. skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz. skim milk
8 oz. eggs
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder , baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl.
- Add the shortening and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, scrape down and mix for 2 more minutes. Add the sugar and the first amount of milk and mix on low for 3-5 minutes, scraping down the bowl to be sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add the remaining milk and eggs is two stages scraping down the bowl often.
- For 10 inch cakes bake at 360 degrees for about 35 minutes until the cake springs back and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Chocolate Ganache
3.5 fl oz Cream
5 oz Dark couverture
3 Tbsp Butter
- Bring the cream to the boil and pour onto the chocolate
- Whisk until the chocolate is dissolved and then add the butter. Let cool down
Stencil Paste
7 oz. butter
7 oz. confectioners’ sugar
7 oz. egg whites
7.75 oz. cake flour
- Beat the butter and sugar until the butter is soft.
- Add the egg whites and mix until incorporated.
- Add the sifted flour and mix until smooth.
- For brown, substitute substitute 1/5th if the cake flour with cocoa powder.
To Make the Ribbon Sponge
- Spread a thin layer of the paste on to a silpat comb with a pastry comb or zig zag using your fingers.
- Freeze until firm
- Cover the paste with ¼ inch thick genoise sponge and bake until set.
To Assemble the Cake
- Cut the cooled ribbon sponge in strips using the ring mold as a guide.
- Line the mold being sure the decorative side is facing out.
- Put 1 layer of devils food sponge in the bottom.
- Pipe chocolate mousse about ¼ inch thick and then top with another layer if Devils food sponge.
- Cover the top of the cake with ganache and refrigerate until set. Decorate as desired and serve.
Note: Different colors of stencil paste can be used as well as different flavors of mousse and cake.